HC Deb 30 July 1883 vol 282 cc938-9
MR. O'DONNELL

asked the Under Secretary of State for India, Whether it is true that, during the week ending the 30th May, there were 636 cases of cholera and 278 deaths from cholera in the Poona District, and 395 cases and 220 deaths in the Thana District, and whether this proportion of deaths proves the virulence of the epidemic; and, whether, in reference to some districts, as in Ahmednuggar, the official Reports fail to give any statistics, but confine themselves to the statement there was "cholera throughout the district?"

MR. J. K. CROSS

The figures quoted for the Thana and Poonah districts are correct. In reply to the last part of the Question, I may explain that when the mortality from cholera is small, the numbers are not necessarily given in the weekly season Returns from the separate districts; but when mortality becomes excessive, they are published weekly. The statistics for Ahmednuggar have been published weekly since the 5th of June. Complete cholera statistics are given in the Sanitary Returns made up at the close of the year. Up to the end of last month cholera was very prevalent in the Deccan districts of Bombay, though the rest of the Presidency was unusually free from the disease. The present epidemic, however, does not appear to be of exceptional virulence. In 1881, with 16,700 deaths, the ratio of mortality to attacks was over 47 per cent; while, in the present epidemic, the ratio is 43 per cent. The average deaths from cholera in the Bombay Presidency for the 15 years ending 1880 have been 20,172 per annum, most of which occurred between May and September.

MR. O'DONNELL

Is it not the case that besides the sporadic cases of cholera there was a large number of virulent local outbreaks, the existence of which has not yet been admitted by the Government? I will give Notice of Questions on this point, and I will ask whe- ther, in a small town in the neighbourhood of Bombay, there were not 63 cases, of whom 28 died within a few hours of a couple of days; and whether these local cases of virulent outbreak are reported to the Egyptian Board of Health?